A sky tool
Moon phase
The moon right now — its phase, how illuminated it is, and what that means for what you can see in the sky tonight.
Why phase matters for stargazing
The moon is the brightest object in the night sky after the sun. When it's full, it washes out all but the brightest stars — you won't see much of the Milky Way on a full-moon night, even far from cities.
For the faintest objects — galaxies, nebulae, meteor showers — you want a sky close to the new moon, when there's no moonlight at all. For looking at the moon itself, aim for a few days either side of first quarter or last quarter, when the sun hits craters sideways and shadows make the lunar surface pop.